Divergence

"We need to take the initiative—send troops to occupy those Mid-Ring Civilizations, even the Outer-Ring Civilizations, and recruit their people as mercenaries. Even if their technological standards lag behind, many positions aboard warships do not require highly specialized knowledge. As long as they have brains, a little basic training should allow them to handle plenty of roles."

"That works. It would expand our forces, and we could also attack those Star Gates and sever the Epoch Clan's connection to the overseas regions."

"Exactly. Anything that can strike at them is something we need to do in the next phase."

"However, without Star Gates for transit, there are not many civilizations we can choose from. And in the short term, we have no way to attack those Star Gates scattered everywhere." A major figure from an Inner Circle Alliance power rationally poured cold water on the proposal.

That was indeed the reality. The Star Sea Alliance was simply too vast. Relying on warp travel alone, they could only reach a handful of civilizations within a short period.

As for those Star Gates, not only were they widely scattered, but they were also far apart, usually more than three hundred light-years from one another. They were truly beyond reach. Moreover, the Epoch Clan surely understood the advantages and weaknesses of its own strategy. Those Star Gates would certainly be heavily defended, and they were linked to the homeland and other overseas factories as well. The Inner Circle Alliance had no idea how many troops it would take to capture a Star Gate head-on.

And once a force of that scale departed, it would inevitably leave the Anti-Epoch Clan Alliance's main front exposed. If the Epoch Clan took the opportunity to counterattack, all the advantages they had gained earlier would likely be wiped